What kind of world did Jesus Christ live in and how did he become known as the King of the Jews? The first public intimation of his identity came from visitors to Jerusalem. They were astrologers, also known as Maggi or wise men. Their arrival sparked off a commotion amongst the Sanhedrin, the ruling priests and scholars, for they were called upon by King Herod to verify a Messianic prophecy of the Messiah's birthplace. The astrologers spoke of a star they had been following, the Christ star in the night sky, which had led them to Jerusalem. All the ancient world knew of the prophecy that one day a king would come from God to save Israel from their enemies. But how the astrologers knew this was the Christ star is a mystery. They were scientists who studied the stars, knew their movements and their names. The name of this star, they said, was Christ, the king of the Jews. (Matthew 2:2) That kind of news was alarming because the king of the Jews was Herod whose appointment was announced by the Roman senate, not by a star. Moreover, it was a long held expectation that the King of the Jews would come from heaven not from Rome. Moreover to add fuel to the fire the astrologers said they had come to worship him. King Herod was under no delusion that they had come to worship himself. He sent for the doctors of the law and the priests to find exactly where this king was born. They told him what was recorded in the Scriptures: 'This is what the prophet has written: "But you, Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.' (Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:5-6) The priests and lawyers had their political and religious hides to protect and no further mention is made of them by Matthew who knew the Pharisees were motivated by self interest. This confirmation that a place close to Jerusalem, Bethlehem, was where the King of the Jews was to be born, set his teeth on edge. He had to find out the exact location. He told the Maggi that when they had found the place to report back and tell him so that he might also go to worship him. This was a trap for his real intention was to murder the child. We know now that king Herod was a ruthless and nefarious tyrant. He has gone down in history as Herod the Great because he pacified the ruling Jews, built their temple that had long been destroyed, a feat taking more than forty six years, and kept the peace. (John 2:20) But he was also known as a paranoid and violent king. He put to death his mother and wife and committed many evil acts. On his death bed, Josephus, the historian, says that, so there would be mourning on his death, he ordered his son, Archilaus to invite many distinguished persons to Jericho and have them slaughtered. Fortunately, his son did not carry out the order. ((See Josephus, Antiquities: Books14-17) The slaughter of the "innocents" was consistent with his character for when the Maggi did not return he sent soldiers to kill all the children in that area of two years and under, a period of time based on the first sighting of the star he had from the Maggi. (Matthew 2:17) His actions are just those that Jesus described of kings in the ancient world. 'Among the heathen, kings are tyrants and each minor official lords it over those beneath him.' (Matthew 20:25 Nrsv)

IN FLIGHT FROM HEROD By this time Mary and Joseph had taken Jesus to Egypt where they stayed until the death of Herod, but on returning they found that his son, a tyrant like his father, ruled in Jerusalem. They therefore settled in Nazareth, a place one hundred miles from Jerusalem. These events seem to us uncivilized and unimaginable yet we only have to think back to the twentieth century and Hitler's hatred of the Jews and the holocaust they suffered to realise that tyrants still exist.

PALESTINE: GEOGRAPHY AND IMPORTANCE A word about where Jesus lived. Palestine lies between the Mediterranean sea and the desert. To the south is Egypt and Africa, to the north Syria, Asia and Europe. Strategically it was very important to the Romans for ships might sail directly from Palestine to Italy and Rome, across the Mediterranean sea. Jesus was born in the centre of the world, so to speak, for later the gospel could reach the world along these trade routes unhindered by borders or passports. The Roman empire was very powerful at that time and ruled the world. But it was a world filled with gods and goddesses, kings and satraps under the yoke of Rome and as we have seen tyrants and violence.

JESUS GROWING UP Meanwhile Jesus grew up in Nazareth and nothing more is recorded about him until he reached the age of twelve. A Jewish home at that time was very different from a pagan home. Jews have calendars that revolve around their history and belonging to God. The Jewish home, one might venture to say, was called into being by God. There are three great festivals each year, the Passover, God's deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt, Pentecost, the giving of the Law of Moses, and Tabernacles, remembering their wanderings in the desert. The Passover was celebrated yearly and it was when Jesus was twelve years old that we meet him for the first time. Jewish families and friends made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem each year to celebrate Passover. Jesus was amongst his family and friends all making the one hundred mile journey to the temple in Jerusalem. This was a major event, costly in time and money. Literally thousands upon thousands of Jews made the journey in groups, by foot, donkey or camel. It would take them at least one week to reach Jerusalem and perhaps another three days to enter into all the sacrifices and celebrations. Then, full of joy at meeting old friends and doing their duty to God, they would make the journey back home. On this occasion Mary and Joseph did not notice that Jesus was missing. They travelled in large numbers and why should they think that he was not with his brothers or cousins? But having travelled a full day on the way back without seeing him, they realised that he was missing and made another days journey back to Jerusalem. They spent a further three days looking for him sorrowing over what might have happened to him. After the three days they returned to the temple. It was there that they found him sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. (Luke 2:46) They were astonished. Mary reacted to this inexplicable behaviour of Jesus by saying, 'Why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.' Jesus replied, 'Why were you searching for me?' 'Did you not know that I had to be in my Father's house?' The reply of Jesus contradicted her word father, meaning Joseph with Father meaning his heavenly Father. The record says that Mary treasured all these things in her heart. (Luke 2:51) To treasure in ones heart means to store and price what is most dear. At the time Mary was dumbfounded that Jesus remained in the House of God whilst everyone else in their family group had left for home. But the words of Jesus were a jolt to remind her that his real Father was God, not Joseph, and he was not Mary's son by Joseph but by God. The fact that she treasured these things in her heart shows that she recovered from the rebuff Jesus gave her and began to see him more apart from herself. She was a woman full of grace by which she soon recognised that her mothering days were coming to a close and the Jesus was growing up to be what the angel Gabriel had told he would be, the Son of God.

JESUS AS A CHILD All children soon learn who they are and who they belong to. Orphans, if they don't know who their father and mother is, desire to know, even though it might be painful. Our sense of belonging to a father and mother is visible in so many ways, features, character, disposition and behaviour. That is why concealing the real identity of a child, who his or her parents are, is incredulous. The truth will out. Let us imagine the child Jesus growing up in a Jewish home. His mother is Mary, his father Joseph. But, in fact, he is not their offspring. The truth about Jesus' birth was known by the inner family. Mary's cousin knew, so did her husband Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist. They had a secret that had to be concealed from the world for the child's safety, as we have already shown. But from Jesus it was not wise or necessary to conceal his birth, no more than a king's son is not told who his father is. There is another reason why they could not conceal it from Jesus. They were rearing him to be who he was and not what they might want him to become. To conceal him from the world he had to be something that was like all other children. He had to go to school, learn his letters, follow, as was usual in his father's footsteps. Tradition has it that he became a carpenter and never left home until he was about thirty years of age. During that time he was concealed but from his parents, Mary and Joseph, there was a side to him that was God's and theirs so to speak. Mary knew his special powers. At the wedding in Canna when the wine ran out, she told the servants to fill up the wine jars with water, knowing that Jesus would change the water into wine. So we see from this that Jesus had to be a normal child, otherwise his powers would be a threat to the authorities who already regarded him as a prodigy for what child of twelve could listen to the teachers of the law and ask them such intelligent questions? Concealment was essential if Jesus was to grow up and fulfill the mission for which he was born. But that concealment had to end at some time in the near future. Nevertheless, when the time came and Jesus came to be baptised by John the Baptist, the past form of concealment had to be broken. Who is this Jesus? That was the question on everyone's lips. Let us explore who Jesus is further as we read the New Testament.www.ccel.org/bible/phillips/CP051GOSPELMAPS.Acknowledgement of maps